Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

Day 3: Retracing our charismatic roots!

Our host community is getting used to the multi-lingual liturgies as the juniors continue to be very enthusiastic in animating the liturgy, especially through song.Our programme for the day is quite busy and involved some travelling in the surrounding areas. Our itinerary today brings us to Bra to visit the Sanctuary of our Lady of the Flower, the minor seminary where Alberione spent some time, the Church of Saint Andrew where Alberione's parents were baptised and which was the parish of St. Joseph Cottolengo. The afternoon brought us to Cherasco, another very significant place for the Pauline Family and then to Narzole.

First stop is a visit to honour Mary, just as our Founder would have done many times. The history of this Sanctuary dedicated to our Lady of the Flower is quite interesting. It was built on the spot where the miracle happened back in December 1339. A young woman from the area, Egidia Mathis who was heavily pregnant, was returning home when she was cornered by two soldiers who had the intention to violently attack her. In that moment, our Lady appeared and the two soldiers fled with shock. However the shock brought on the birth of her firstborn child in the freezing cold. Miraculously a bush fully in bloom grew up from the ground which Egidia used to protect the child and herself. Every year, the bush flowers in December, continuing to baffle scientists and gardeners as the plant is not a winter plant and its flowering season is in summer. There are numerous 'ex-voto', or 'for graces received', a common Italian tradition which involves artistically representing the scene of the accident where our Lady intervened and saved the people involved. Today, it is also a popular place of prayer for mothers of new-borns who entrust their children to the protection of the Madonna. The small chapel soon became too small to house the numerous pilgrims who frequent it, thus prompting the construction of the Sanctuary.

Ex-voto (for graces received)

So what link does this have with the history of our Family? After the death of her first child, Teresa Allocco (Alberione's mother), put each of her newborns under the mantle of protection of Mary.Often she would bring the young siblings to light candles here. In 1898, the safety of Giovanni Alberione who was involved in an accident was attributed to the intercession of our Lady. The ex-voto of the Alberione family can be seen today in the corridor outside the sacristy. As Fr: Alberione got older, he would pass here often, seeking light and comfort as he began the challenging task of discerning the voice of God in his life. Unknown to him, his mother from the day of his birth had entrusted his priestly vocation to the intercession of Mary.

The seminary which initially accepted Alberione for his studies towards the priesthood no longer exists but has been replaced by a public school. Whilst on the same street, we took the opportunity to visit the Church of St. Clare, noted for its artistic beauty and its influence on Alberione, especially for the ministry of beauty at the service of the Gospel which he entrusted to the PDDM.

﻿﻿﻿

Confessional where St. Joseph Cottolengo heard confessions

﻿﻿﻿ The Church of St. Andrew reminded us of the importance of the faith which has been passed onto us from our parents. It was here in this church that both Teresa Allocco and Michael Alberione were baptised and married, and most probably the place where they first met. Three of their four children were also baptised here. Here, the saintly Joseph Cottolengo celebrated Mass and heard confessions for his fellow villagers.
It was opportune that we took some time to pray here and remember all those who have been instrumental in our faith journey: parents, grandparents, community sisters and brothers, relatives, friends. Many people continue to accompany us with their prayer and for this we are grateful. Photo gallery

Our Lady of Grace

In the afternoon, we made our way to Cherasco, stopping briefly along a side road to view the house where the Alberione family moved in 1886 (James was 2 years old) and remained there until 1910. From his window young James could see the small chapel of Our Lady of Graces, also known as the Madonnina, another favourite stop on the way to school. For years, this small shrine continues to be visited by many.
Alberione expresses his love of our Lady of Cherasco in his first book entitled "The Blessed Virgin of Graces in Cherasco: a humble homage". Throughout his whole life, the flame of his Marian devotion never wavers and indeed he himself would dare to admit: "the grace of God and Mary saved me".

Cherasco is a picturesque town with narrow winding streets, creating a wonderful sense of strolling through history. However, today seemed to be a lot busier than usual. We discovered quickly why! We arrived on the day before the opening of the 5th Annual Snail Fair. It is a great tourist event, drawing people from all over Europe and beyond for this culinary and gastronomical fair. Not having the courage to sample anything on offer, we allowed the 'St. Francis' in us to roam free and we went down to look at and say hello to the snails! Photo gallery

the 5th Annual Snail Festival in Cherasco

More to follow....call back soon ( :

Get link

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Google+

Email

Other Apps

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Last week I received a beautiful surprise parcel in the post containing an icon and a book. Those who know me know that this almost equates to being Christmas for me: books and icons, both on my list of 10 favourite things! The icon was one I had actually never seen before and was a gift from Taize, a copy of the Coptic icon which belonged to Brother Roger Schultz, the former prior there. The original icon dates from seventh century Eygpt and is usually referred to as “Christ with the believer” but is just as frequently referred to as “the icon of friendship”.

Although simple in its presentation, it is nevertheless a sophisticated image. Jesus is shown putting His arm around the shoulder of a friend; this man is called Menas, but he represents each one of us. Jesus does not face Menas, rather He stands alongside him; He accompanies him, sharing in the burdens of life. In His left arm Jesus holds the Scriptures, God’s word. The word tells the story of the love between God and humanit…

Praying with icons
God is revealed not only by words to the ears but by images to the eyes aswell. Christ is not just the word (logos) of God but also the 'image' (eikon) of the unseen God. From there we receive the word 'icon' derived from the Greek. An icon is not a painting in the sense we normally regard pieces of art, although it is an image that is painted. An icon is a window into the divine whilst living everyday life and uniting it to the realm of God. Every brushstroke leaves an imprint which is the fruit of centuries of prayer. Icons are religious images that hover between two worlds, putting into colours and shapes what cannot be grasped by the intellect. They render the invisible visible.To the Christian, an icon is a constant reminder of God's presence in his church, his home and in his life. You gaze on the icon, but it gazes on you too. When you are looking at someone you love, and they are looking at you, there is a lot that is communicated that can…

From the very beginning God has utilized and taught His people the importance of creating memorials and to place value on remembering the important matters of life through visualization. One does not even have to study scripture to see the factual importance and effectiveness of visualizing. Science itself has declared that humans are visual by nature, and that people retain more of what they see. One such person who operates from this perspecive is our sister, Sr. M. Angelica Ballan.
She recounts: For many many years now, I carry out my apostolate at the heart of the liturgical apostolate of the Disciples of the Divine Master in the area of art and sculpture. The demand for figurative art for chapels and Churches keeps me always on my toes, and more importantly it keeps me connected to the Lord who infuses interior strength into my soul and brings out a work of art which encourages those who look at it to be moved towards prayer and a deeper connection with the spiritual life. It i…

I'm a religious sister, part of a Congregation called the Disciples of the Divine Master.Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist,our main mission is to be 'living lamps' before Jesus present in the Eucharist,offering our prayer and Adoration for the intentions of the whole world.Silence and contemplative prayer are channels which allow us to strengthen our interior life and learn the true art of listening, communication and discipleship.
In our ministry we walk with others on this same journey of living the Christian life.
In the spirit of the Apostle Paul, who made himself all things to all people,
we welcome the values and traditions of different nations and we commit ourselves to ecumenicaland interreligious dialogue for the proclamation of the newness of the Gospel.
Creating the ambience for liturgical worship is part of our ministry
including interior designs of churches and chapels.
In this way,we use the language of art and creative beauty
to make the liturgy of the Church known and loved.